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The museum is located in the Töölö telephone centre building on Runeberginkatu, Helsinki. Completed in 1915, the building was designed by Lars Sonck, and it still houses the Töölö telephone centre – although today, instead of several storeys, one room is enough to house it.

This whistle calling telephone from 1878 is the oldest piece in the museum. The technology was introduced just two years after Bell had been granted a patent for the telephone in the United States. Siemens & Halske developed a version in which you blew the whistle at the top to produce a sound signal on the other end. You then removed the whistle and spoke into the hole. To listen, you put the hole on your ear. The voice ran along the line, and calling was possible across short distances only.

An exceptionally well-preserved switchboard from 1885 is the most valuable object in the museum. It used to operate as a telephone exchange for 8 customers and is nowadays the only remaining piece in the world.

The first automatic telephone exchange in the Nordic countries was opened in 1922. Manufactured by the German Siemens & Halske AG, the exchange is still in operational condition and at its original location in the building.

Photo: Sakari Kiuru

Elisa Telephone Museum

The elegant telephone centre building in Töölö exhibits a huge number of telephones, switchboards run by telephone operators and a genuine telephone box!

The museum’s collections cover the entire range of telecommunications technology from the company’s early days as Helsinki Telephone Association to today’s Elisa Corporation. In addition to old ornamental models, the exhibits include a special telephone used by President Kekkonen, the Mobira ‘Gorba’ mobile phone and many other oddities.

The first automatic telephone exchange in the Nordic countries was launched in Töölö in 1922 and is still in operational condition. Four telephones connected to the exchange can be used to make calls within the museum and see the voice running along the lines. The operation of the telephone network is also illustrated by means of telephone poles and cables.

The nostalgic technology, old telephone directories and the opportunity to step inside a telephone box the likes of which can no longer be seen in the city, guarantee an enjoyable journey through the rapid changes which have taken place in Helsinki and the telecommunications technology.